Jesus' Resurrection and Easter appearances
"That the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and rise on the third day" (Lk. 24:7).
Summary
The
Resurrection began with Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin and
secret disciple of Jesus, asking Pontius Pilate for the body of Jesus. He
dressed the body in a clean linen cloth and buried Jesus in a new stone tomb. A
massive stone was then used to seal it, ensuring that there was only a single
body in the tomb. Joseph left upon finishing, but the women who had been
watching remained. When they returned home, they prepared spices with which
they were planning to anoint Jesus’ body in two days, so as to follow the
commandment on respecting the Sabbath. To their surprise, when Mary Magdalene,
Mary, mother of James, and another woman had returned to the tomb on the third
day, it had already been opened. Within, instead of a deceased Jesus, they
found two angels where his body had been. The angels instructed them to tell
the disciples that he has risen and would return to Galilee. Later, Jesus
appeared to Mary Magdalene, but, when she told the other women that he was
alive, they did not believe her. Jesus also appeared to some of his disciples while they were on the road of Emmaus, but they did not recognize him at first. He told them how he fulfilled the Old Testament and then spent the night with them. When he broke bread and blessed it at dinner they realized that the man was Jesus. He later appeared to other disciples while they were hiding from the Jews. He breathed into them, sharing the Holy Spirit and absolving them of their sins. Thomas was not present during his appearance and claimed that he would not believe the stories he heard without touching Jesus' wounds as proof. Jesus again appeared to the disciples, and this time in the presence of Thomas. Jesus allowed him to touch the holes in his wrists and side, causing Thomas to believe, but Jesus said, "blessed are those who have not seen and have believed" (Jn. 20:29). Another appearance of Jesus involved Peter and six other disciples. They were fishing in the Sea of Tiberias but unable to catch fish. Then Jesus, taking a form that the disciples did not recognize, advised them to cast their nets on the other side of the ship. They suddenly caught so many fish that they could not lift the net and this caused John to realize that is was the Lord. They then retuned to the shore that they may eat with their teacher. Jesus allowed Peter to redeem himself afterwards for denying that he knew him. Three times Jesus asked if Peter loved him, and three times Peter responded that he did. Jesus said "feed my sheep," showing that he was making Peter the new shepherd of his people(Jn. 21: 17).
Similarities Differences
One similarity found between all four Canonical Gospels in their accounts of Jesus' resurrection is that Mary Magdalene is always among those who first discover Jesus' body missing from his tomb. In the Gospel of Matthew, she is accompanied only by "the other Mary" with whom she discovers that Jesus' tomb is empty (Mt. 28:1). Likewise, Mary Magdalene is present in the Gospel of Mark's story, wherein she, Mary the mother of James, and Salome are told by a mysterious young man, "You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. he has been raised; he is not here" (Mk. 16:6). Third, Mary Magdalene is also present in the Gospel of Luke's account; despite the fact that the Gospel of Luke only uses the word "they" to address who visits Jesus' tomb, the fact that Mary Magdalene is present is clarified when she, along with Joanna and Mary the mother of James, later recounts her experiences with her fellow disciples. Lastly, Mary Magdalene visits Jesus' tomb as well in the Gospel of John's story, as she is the first disciple to see that the stone has been rolled away from Jesus' tomb early one morning.
Mary Magdalene, by Pietro Perugino (1500)http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pietro_Perugino_047.jpg
All of the Gospel stories of the discovery of Jesus' empty tomb are similar in that one or more divine beings tells of Jesus' resurrection to one or more of the disciples. In the Gospel of Matthew, an "angel of the Lord" tells the news of Jesus' resurrection to Mary and Mary Magdalene (Mt. 28:2). Also, a mysterious man "clothed in a white robe" tells Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary, the mother of James that Jesus has risen in the Gospel of Mark (Mk. 16:5). Similarly, a few unnamed disciples are told the news by "two men in dazzling garments" in the Gospel of Luke, although later three of these disciples are revealed to be Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James (Lk. 24:4). Lastly, although he is only present after the other disciples have left Jesus' tomb, Jesus himself, along with two angels, appears to Mary Magdalene in his tomb in the Gospel of John, saying, "I have not yet ascended to the Father" (Jn. 20:17).
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One aspect of the resurrection stories that is unique to a specific Gospel, the Gospel of John, is the story of Thomas' incredulity about Jesus' resurrection. In the Gospel of John, the disciple Thomas is not present when Jesus visits his disciples after his resurrection. As a result, Thomas does not believe that Jesus has risen, ". When Jesus arrives and allows Thomas to feel his wounds, Thomas is amazed and believes in his resurrection. However, he is scolded by Jesus for not believing before seeing Jesus' firsthand (Jn. 20:24-29). This story is absent from all three Synoptic Gospels, as no mention is made of a specific disciple's disbelief in Jesus' resurrection; instead, all three Synoptic Gospels mention that, at some point, the group of disciples as a whole consider Jesus' resurrection dubious.
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, by Caravaggio (1601)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Incredulity_of_Saint_Thomas_by_Caravaggio.jpg The Gospel of Matthew's account of the discovery of the empty tomb of Jesus is unique in that, upon Mary Magdalene's and Mary's discovery of the empty tomb, a great earthquake occurs due to an angel of the Lord descending (Mt. 28:2). This detail of an earthquake is not present in any of the other Gospels. In the Gospel of Mark, a man in white is inside of the tomb instead of an angel (Mk. 16:5). Similarly, the Gospel of Luke makes no mention of an earthquake and an angel; instead, the visitors to Jesus' tomb are met by two men in shining garments (Lk. 24:4). Lastly, although Mary Magdalene does see two angels in the Gospel of John's account, there is no mention of an earthquake, and the angels do not appear in the tomb until her second visit to it (Jn. 20:12).
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